Match Awards: Manuel Neuer showed Dortmund that he’s still the world’s best

Jersey Swap: Sebastian Rode

The former Bayern Munich man was among the best on the field during the match. The midfielder showed the persistence and tenacity that made him such an attractive asset in the transfer market this summer for Borussia Dortmund. If Rode can keep this effort up, it will be hard for any player in Dortmund to push him out of the starting lineup.

Tip Of The Cap: Javi Martinez

Having a few preseason games under your belt can be a huge benefit heading into the first competitive match of the season, and no player exemplified that more than Javi Martinez. Partnered with Mats Hummels who was playing in his first match back from Euro 2016, Martinez was the calming presence at the back between the two players. With Hummels struggling at times to get out of vacation-mode, Martinez did a solid job at keeping the Borussia Dortmund onslaught in the first half from putting the Bavarians in a deep hole.

Golf Clap: Franck Ribery

During the first half while Bayern Munich worked to keep Borussia Dortmund back, there were few attacking players that offered any assistance. Franck Ribery found the best route for him to take and became an outlet. Balls played deep into corners allowed Ribery to give the Bayern defense time to push out and reset before the Dortmund attack came back at them. Being an outlet is never a glorious job, but Ribery was there to provide it on the day.

Standing Ovation: Arturo Vidal

Yes, the goal is why he’s here. However, it’s not the fact that he scored a goal that earned Arturo Vidal the Standing Ovation. He earns it, because of how the goal came about. During the first of last season, there was no debating Vidal’s performances: He was poor. He didn’t fit. He looked like a mistaken purchase. But, he fought through it. Buy the time the season was done, Vidal had turned himself into an instrumental part of this Bayern side, and it looks like he’s going to carry it over into this season. His deep runs out of midfield are going to win a lot of games for Bayern this season. King Arturo reigns.

Meister Of The Match: Manuel Neuer

Seeing Manuel Neuer under pressure throughout the match against Borussia Dortmund was something of a throwback. Over the last several years, we’ve rarely seen the Germany number one tested as much as he was against Dortmund. Neuer made five huge saves in the match, and his ability to keep Dortmund off the board in the first half was huge for Bayern confidence heading into the second period.